“It was obvious from the start that it was revolutionary. Every writer since the printing press has longed for a means to publish himself (herself) and reach – instantly – any reader on Earth” Andrew Sullivan,
www.icrossing.co.uk
At its simplest, a blog is an online journal where the entries are published with the most recent first. It allows
event managers to publish instant updates to all attendees who are following the blog. There are a number of features that make blogs noteworthy and different to websites:
Tone – blogs are written in a personal and conversational style.
Topic – bloggers tend to define what they are writing about and will focus on a particular topic. Take a little extra time defining your event and the post will flow better. You will develop something that matters to your readers.
Trackbacks – it is easy to insert links to other websites and blogs.
Comments Section – blogs provide an effective message board for your articles so that you can answer questions and engage with your readers.
Here are 5 reasons why Event Planners should blog about their events
- Blogging is one of the best ways to build relationships with attendees and ambassadors for your event. It is important to share information that is interesting, useful and relevant to them. You can post before your event to create a real buzz and build a community around your event.
- You can also post photographs that showcase your event. Make sure you take lots of pictures at all of your events. Photos from previous events will give future attendees an idea of what to expect and they help to add interest to your blogs.
- Search engines love blogs and using the blog format can help bring in search engine traffic. Blogging makes it easy to build trackbacks; it is very easy to insert links to other websites and blogs. When creating your blog ensure that you include keywords and tags to increase SEO, Search Engine Optimisation.
- Blogging can help you build a fantastic reputation and you may even be recognised as an expert in your field. Bloggers gain popularity, employment and even new cliental by blogging as an expert. We see bloggers on news interviews and hear radio shows speaking with bloggers to get expert opinions on the subject at hand.
- Event coordinators can also blog live to monitor the audience’s reaction to the event, the speaker and generally get honest, live feedback which they can act on to improve the experience. Live blogging requires a bit more preparation and you will need to check that the venue has the facilities you require. The most important thing, of course, is internet access from the event.
Blogs are a great way to keep everyone who is interested in your event up-to-date with the latest news and important information. But Event Managers can also leave a lasting legacy. Blogs create an environment for experts to share their expertise long after their presentation ends.
Often the real action happens once your post is published and being interacted with by readers and other bloggers. Taking time to respond to all the comments can be very fruitful.
